Kerry Adult Guidance & Information Service (KAGIS)
Kerry Education and Training Board, Centrepoint, John Joe Sheehy Rd., Tralee, Co. Kerry
Tel: 066 7121 300, e-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.kerryetb.ie/guidance
SELF DIRECTED SEARCH
“If you don’t know where you are going, then you will probably end up somewhere else.”
-Author unknown
Purpose:
To provide a brief aid to help those adults who are unsure as to what they want to do
for education, training, or employment.
Some Golden Rules:

Put the “barriers” aside just for now
Do not focus on the “barriers” to what you want to do such as: the cost of a course; the time it
will take; whether or not you will be able for it; the cost of childcare, etc. Put these barriers aside
for now, and only look at these “barriers” after you found what you would love to do and then
find the people and the supports to help you overcome the barriers.

Trust your inner self.
You may not have a crystal ball, but you do have your “gut feeling” or dreams of what you would
love to do…trust in that and follow it, that is why it is there! Give yourself permission to explore
your dream.

Find your supports.
Everyone needs help from time to time. Ask for help. Get advice from professional people and
people in organisations that are supposed to help for example, INTREO, Local Employment
Services, Citizens Information Centres, Jobs Clubs, the Kerry Adult Guidance and Information
Service, Family Resource Centres, etc.
Updated March 2017
Five Steps
1. Know yourself
2. Pick only two or three options for now.
3. Research them
4. Decide on which one(s) to keep
5. Act!
1. Know Yourself: Take an assessment of your interests. See what kind of course, career or
training motivates you. Some useful websites:
www.qualifax.ie
www.careersportal.ie
Get a printout of the most suited career/jobs, education interests, based on your answers to the
assessment or assessments you take.
2. Suggest to pick only two or three options for now, but no more than five.
Take a pen or pencil and circle no more than three from the lists of suggested careers/occupations
suggested. Remember to stay true to your inner self.
3. Research them.
Go to www.careersportal.ie to see what it is all about by searching under the Careers & Jobs tab
to find “Occupations”, and research the occupations you have circled in step 2 above. Use FETCH
(www.fetchcourses.ie) or Qualifax (www.qualifax.ie) to find or research possible courses linked to
the possible careers you circled in step 2.

Look at the aspects of the work or the course.

What skills or interests it requires.

Who to contact for further information.

Pay and conditions.
Updated March 2017

Take a look at “Related Occupations” that are identified in Careers Portal, in the
initial occupation you searched. These “Related Occupations” are often of real interest, and
identify many other possibilities to pursue.
4. Decide on which one(s) to keep!
Read and see if it still motivates you. If it does, keep it on the list. If it doesn’t, then throw it out!
If you are stuck, then maybe you need to speak with an Adult Guidance Counsellor…phone us to
see how we can help you.
Remember:
Do not fear lack of knowledge, talent or skill. Seek motivation and the
others will come. -Dale Adams 80 year old man
5. Act! Take the next steps.

Make contact with the people who offer the course, or who know about the career area. Let
them know where you think you might need help and get their advice on how they can help
you!

Speak with an Adult Guidance Counsellor if you need professional advice.

Start filling in your application(s) or signing up for a course or courses. Try to create several
options for yourself, in case one does not work out.

Stay in control of developing your options. If needs be relook at the list of suggested careers
and see if there is anything else that may be of interest, and move on to steps 3-5.
To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes
against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes 1809-1894, American Author, Wit, Poet
Updated March 2017
NOTES
Updated March 2017